Monthly Archives: March 2012

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It’s better to give than to receive, but who says you can’t do both? This month, we’re helping you get a head start on your holiday planning with a collection of gift-worthy products. Try them and let them inspire your own present plans… and we promos not to tell if you but them for yourself!

Infused with French cornflower extracts, this formula is designed for even the most sensitive eyes.

I’m going to start this off with a packaging fangirl moment. How beautiful is this packaging?! A sapphire blue bottle, a simple white cap, and a pretty wrap. So simple and luxurious. Okay. I like this makeup remover, it’s smooth and gentle and it smells good. I only tried this like 3 or 4 times, because I started having a reaction. My mom loves it though. It’s a fantastic makeup remover.

Hello, beautiful, delicious-smelling spray. This bottle is empty. It’s a milky white spray that smells absolutely devine. I’ll be buying the full size very soon. It made my hair so light and fluffy and shiny and soft without weighing it down or leaving it frizzy. And it smells amazing. Did I mention that? Try this as soon as you can.

Zoya | Nail Polish in Noel | Full size: 0.5 oz, $8

This shimmery denim shade from Zoya’s holiday 2011 collection fits just right – just like your favorite blue jeans.

I’ve reviewed this before, I swear. But apparently not. It’s a foil-y, shimmery blue with a strong silver effect. It’s pretty, but I wasn’t wowed. You guys must know by now that I love color.

Spicy and sweet, these artisinal dark chocolate treats are laced with chipotle and popping candy.

This didn’t even make it until the rest of the products were out of the box. It didn’t stand a chance. It was good. I think. It was strange, it’s hard to tell. It’s a rich dark chocolate, and that’s what you taste first. Then it’s like someone threw in some Pop Rocks. Then once you swallow, you get a lot of heat from the chipotle. It was the most different chocolate I’ve ever eaten.

EXTRA: Baublebar Bracelet

I got an option from Birchbox that month to get a free Baublebar bracelet. Well, I’m not gonna say no! And turns out I LOVE IT. I wear it very very often. Love, love, love, love it.

That’s all for November. Some strong products in this box. Love when it’s a strong month.

I won a contest! haha! I entered my cloud manicure to Sally Girl’s Facebook page. And I won! I was so excited. When I got these in the mail I was super excited. I swatched the yellow one first… then I realized that I shouldn’t have. The entire collection is scented. Yellow isn’t lemon – that’d be awesome. Instead it’s one of the 7 scents that make me puke instantly. Banana. The other scents that make me sick are cherry, grape, coconut, and wintergreen. These really are gorgeous colors though. So let’s see them.

Banana | Yep, this one is scented like banana. Strongly. It’s fine if you like the scent, in fact all of them are, just not for me. It smells like that really hard candy that’s shaped like a banana. I think it’s a Wonka candy… the color is pretty. A shimmery pastel yellow. The shimmer is really just a slight pearl. It is pretty. It’s a shame it makes me so sick.

Cherry | Number two on the list of “Scents That Make Britni Sick” is Cherry, which is less of a cherry color and more of a fuchsia. This one had good coverage and the scent wasn’t that bad. But I couldn’t keep this on more than the 5 minutes that it took to paint and picture it. 😦 Another pretty color.

Coconut | Third scent in the collection that is also on my “do not smell” list. But this is a really pretty color. This is a white-blue. What I mean is that it’s like sky blue, but whiter.

Grape | Another scent I can’t stand. This is probably one of my favorites of the bunch though, it’s super creamy and soft. VERY spring. It’s a grayer purple, not very vibrant.

Lime | Yes! A color AND a scent that is irresistible. This smells so delicious. Like a Tic Tac or something. And the color is really close to China Glaze’s Gaga for Green or Tree Hugger in that it’s a yellow based light-medium green. It has gorgeous blue shimmer and is super shiny without topcoat.

Orange | Another super pretty one! The scent is the generic orange scent you get from Pledge or Tic Tacs. This orange is just a basic yellow-leaning neutral orange. This was one of the more opaque ones in the group.

So that’s the collection. The entire collection is super streaky, but it’s not intolerable. All here are shown with two coats, but three would make them mostly opaque. I’ll be keeping Lime and Orange, but the others will be going to a new home, where they’ll be loved by two adorable little girls.

So, to get myself feeling all Irish-y (I’m very much Italian, but there’s at least 40% Irish in here somewhere.), I watch this movie with Cillian Murphy, called The Wind That Shakes the Barley. It’s really good. It’s on the Netflix Instant Queue if you want to watch it. It’s worth it. I know I’m a few days late, but I feel like sharing anyway. Here was my St. Patty’s manicure.

Messy, messy. Someday I’ll get it right. Anyway, this is China Glaze Four Leaf Clover, stamped with Bundle Monster plate M71 using Konad White. It was simple, and I don’t own any Kelly Green clothing so… this is how I got my green on. And this color is less blue. It is the color of a… four leaf clover.

A little bit better, color-wise. Isn’t it strange how the super white Konad Special Polish turned a light green? I didn’t mean that, and I’m so glad it happened! It looks a lot better than the stark white that it was.

After all those ouchy hours in high heels, out feet deserve a treat — like this hydrating cream, which has natural avocado and jojoba oils to soften and soothe.

I. Love. This. This is honestly so amazing. It’s super moisturizing and I use it all the time. It doesn’t smell like a foot cream, either! I find major improvements in my feet after using this. And I hate my feet. Well, I hate feet in general… but I digress. Go buy this. Or get a sample or something. Just… try this.

I like this. But I don’t find myself reaching for it. It’s weird. It slides off, with warm water. It’s so weird. I like it. The mascara itself is pretty good. It give nice full black thick lashes that feel soft and stay until you come into contact with warm water for an extended period of time. Pro: somewhat waterproof, if the water isn’t warm. Also doesn’t sweat off or move an inch. Con: It’s kinda hard to remove and it’s weird seeing tubes slide off your lashes.

I’ve been sent their liquid liner too, and that was the same way. I liked that too. But the one thing I like is the packaging. It comes in this little purple tin tube, and it has a cap that screws off, then this is inside:

I’m a sucker for packaging.

This has a nice wand too. I prefer natural bristles.

Ouidad | Climate Control Heat & Humidity Gel | Full size: 6oz, $16

A styling aid with brains! When this non-sticky gel senses heat, it stops hair from expanding. Welcome to frizz-free curls.

Now… I opened my Birchbox when I first got it… said “ooh!” …and never saw this product again. I don’t know where it could have gone. Sorry.

Pangea Organics | Facial Scrub | Full size: 4 fl oz, $32

This all-natural scrub uses cranberry seed enzymes and finely ground adzuki bean to clear away dead skin so that your products can do their job.

I love this brand. My skin was wayward and lost before Birchbox introduced me into their toner. And now their scrub has taken over my St. Ives Apricot Scrub. The St. Ives scrub is just as good, but it can be a tad rough when my skin is behaving. Also, the Pangea one smells amazing. If you’ve never tried this brand, you’re missing out.

Well, that’s about all for now. I have November and December’s Birchbox coming up soon.

This is just a few quick shots of my current manicure. It’s nothing spectacular because I messed up on the white, but HOT DAMN IS IT BRIGHT. I mean… It almost glows in the dark. It is a driving distraction and I’ve been stopped six times today. It hurts your eyes. Do you get what I’m trying to say yet? I don’t’ think I’ve worn a polish that is this neon. I’ve also never had this much trouble photographing a polish.

Celtic Sun is a gloriously bright neon yellow. It’s the equivalent of drawing on white nails with a highlighter. The problem is… it’s the equivalent of drawing on your nails with a highlighter. It’s super sheer. It’s super thin. It looks like tinted water. Which is an easy fix! Here I did two coats of Sally Hansen White Out and three coats of Celtic Sun, which wasn’t really necessary. One or two would’ve worked. Then a nice topcoat and ta-da!

Hi everyone! Today I have this months Birchbox, which I got this morning. I had to post this as soon as I could. Now, this month was a little different. I had a choice, I could choose a regular March Birchbox, or I could opt in for a Birchbox with items hand-picked by Teen Vogue. I decided to switch it up and opted for the Teen Vogue box. I don’t regret it. This was a quality box, with TWO FULLSIZE ITEMS. Yeah, I know, right?

Birchbox says:

This month, you’ll get to try party-ready products from top brands, all hand-picked by the beauty editors at Teen Vogue.

This Birchbox came with a fancy pink wrap!

Annick Goutal | Petite Chérie | Full size: $85

A blend of fresh fruity notes and musk, this French fragrance is the definition of understated chic.

Now… I don’t know how I feel about this yet. It’s not really “me,” but I kind of like it. I couldn’t describe scents to save my life, so I guess I’d agree with the card. 🙂

essie | luxeffects | Full size: $8

Layer this glittery top coat onto any polish for an eye-catching look.

YAY FOR FULL SIZED PRODUCTS! Now… this is why I’m glad I have Birchbox. I’d have never tried this. In fact, the entire collection bored me. Glitters aren’t all that exciting for me. When I saw this in my box, I kinda got giggly. I got excited. So I put it on instantly.

A Cut Above is a metallic bubblegum pink glitter. The glitter is in a clear base and is different shapes and sizes. It’s a really good formula for a glitter. It wasn’t a paste. And this is over Wet N Wild’s new polish Disturbia. And yeah, Disturbia was about to come off, but I got distracted by Birchbox goodies. So this is rough, but LOOK AT MY RING FINGER. This glitter is PERFECT over this eggplant vampy purple. I may repeat this manicure later on in the week. Disturbia deserves it’s own post as well.

I haven’t used these, mostly because I don’t have any issues with shine at all. But, they’re obviously good quality, judging by the other reviews on other sites. Sorry I can’t help you with this one.

tarte | LipSurgance lip tint | Full size: $24

This long-lasting stain adds rich pigment and is designed to boost the moisture levels in your lips.

AWWW YEAH! A full size product! Now… I love this lip stain. But it is a lip stain. So it’s not moisturizing. Or not that I found. But it’s SOOOO pretty. Once the stain sets and the gloss disappears, I just pop some of my Jack Black balm and voila! Color and moisture. The color lasts for a long time, as expected from a balm. And I love the color.

The color I got was Amused. Which is, naturally, a Birchbox Pink color. It twists up (and down) and has a silver cap. Now… this is big. Like a whiteboard Expo marker big. Which I think is so cool! Nothing like a giant pencil made out of lipstick.

See? It’s cool. The tube isn’t exactly color correct, the stain is a warmer pink, which I absolutely love. I’m not a pink girl at all, but make it a “coral,” “peach,” or “watermelon” color and I’m all over it. Now I’m going to post the first ever picture of the swatch on my lips. I’m a little nervous.

There, that wasn’t so bad. It was like pulling a band-aid. Now here’s a much easier swatch.

twistband | Hair Tie | 12 pack, $18

Give your ponytail a makeover with these colorful, snag-free elastics.

Last but not least. And yes, I got one of these before, I don’t know if I covered them yet or not, but they’re amazing. This is a peachy orange tie, and I also have a black one. These are so awesome. They blend in with your bracelets and last as long, if not longer than a regular hair tie. Seriously, these are amazing.

And that concludes this month’s box. I was so happy with this one. I love all the skincare products I get, but I really signed up for Birchbox for the makeup in the first place, so this box was refreshing and exciting.

If you don’t know what Birchbox is, it’s a monthly subscription (just like a magazine) for $10 a month. You get deluxe samples (that means ones that are big enough for you to use) of many high end brands you may not have access to normally, or ones you didn’t want to splurge on for you to try. And I find it so worth the $10. In each box I find one or two products that change my life or change my views on a product.

For example:

Full size Essie polish: $8

Full size Tarte lip stain: $24

Hair tie: $1.50

Shiseido blotting papers: $1.80

That means that the products in this box that I will use totals up to a worth of $35.30. I’d say that’s worth it. 😉

Jeeze! I still haven’t gotten over my heart attack from the Hunger Games Collection, of which I have… four out of the twelve… I still need Fast Track, Stone Cold, Harvest Moon, and Riveting. What? I can’t walk away from an orange… Let’s get a peek at this press release:

Los Angeles, CA – (March 2012): Array your nails in a myriad of color this spring with China Glaze®’s limited edition Prismatic nail polish collection! Inspired by the colors formed by the refraction of light through a prism, Prismatic by China Glaze® combines glitter and holographic particles to create the ultimate eye-catching, 3-dimensional manicure.